U.S. lower 48 states' gross natgas output rises in June: EIA

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

(Reuters) - U.S. gross natural gas output in the lower 48 states rose by nearly 0.8 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) to a high for 2017 of 81.4 bcfd in June, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Friday, in its monthly 914 production report.

The rise was led by gains in Texas, the largest gas-producing state, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Ohio. Output in Texas increased by almost 0.1 bcfd in June to 21.9 bcfd.

Production, however, is likely to fall sharply in the coming weeks, as about one-fifth of offshore production has been shut in due to Tropical Storm Harvey. Texas’s Eagle Ford shale region, which has seen substantial growth in recent years thanks to the shale boom, has also seen production shut in due to the storm, and it may be some time before activity resumes.

Production in Pennsylvania, the second largest producer, slipped to 14.77 bcfd from 14.82 bcfd.

However, Louisiana showed a 7 percent increase in output to 5.7 bcfd, the largest percentage increase, while Oklahoma’s output rose to 6.9 bcfd, a 1 percent gain.

The seven biggest U.S. shale fields produce more than 60 percent of the nation’s gas, while the Gulf of Mexico accounts for around 4 percent of the total.